Typhoon Ragasa wreaks havoc in Hong Kong and Taiwan

FIERCE winds, pounding rain and high seas battered Hong Kong yesterday as Super Typhoon Ragasa headed into southern China after causing a lake burst that killed at least 15 people in Taiwan.

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RESIDENTS clear mud from their property, while damaged cars are seen in the background in Hualien, following the bursting of a barrier lake.

(AFP)

The Chinese finance hub saw scores of fallen trees and flooding in multiple neighbourhoods, with the storm surge smashing the glass doors of an upscale hotel and flooding its lobby, according to footage circulated online.

Ragasa is churning away from Hong Kong gradually around noon but the city will still be lashed by hurricane-force winds, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which issued the highest level of typhoon warning overnight.

Ragasa has brought “significant storm surge”, with waters at coastal areas rising more than three metres above the reference level, the observatory added.

The nearby casino hub of Macau which also saw widespread flooding - has suspended power supply to some low-lying areas, according to utility company CEM.

In Taiwan, at least 15 people were killed and 18 injured when a decades-old lake barrier burst in the eastern Hualien county after Ragasa pounded the island, according to regional officials.